Harvey's wind, rain batter Port Lavaca amid mandatory evacuation

A full day of hurricane-force winds began to batter Port Lavaca and other areas of Matagorda County on Friday afternoon, prompting residents to compare the storm to some of the worse to ever hit the Gulf.

On Friday morning, Port Lavaca officials loaded up two buses with last-minute evacuees who had no other way out of Harvey's path.

Among those evacuees was Yolanda Morales, who said she was happy to be leaving.

"We're in a low spot - I just want to get my grandkids and husband out," she said.

A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for the southern part of Matagorda County. Everyone south of FM521 is included in the order, including the communities of Palacios, Collegeport, Matagorda, Sargent and Wadsworth.

Expressing nervousness about the potential dangerous flooding, the sheriff told said, "There is no place for 15 inches of rain to go, especially with a six-foot tide."

Even with the order, the sheriff said adults will not be arrested if they don't leave - but may not be able to get help once the storm arrives. Children under 18 must leave, the sheriff added.